SLNA won the Nghe - Tinh Derby

SLNA players celebrate their goal. Photo: Chung Nguyen

It has been a long time since Vinh Stadium welcomed a large number of spectators to cheer for the match between two neighboring teams - SLNA and Hong Linh Ha Tinh.
Before entering the stadium, the Fan Clubs of both teams had activities to show the friendship from both banks of the Lam River. Many streets in Vinh City witnessed the vibrant cheering from the colors red and yellow. The song "Joining hands" was sung loudly by the fans of both teams throughout the parade. It was like a demonstration of solidarity and attachment that is difficult for any other team to have.

30 minutes before the match, the fans were packed into the stands. That contributed to fanning the excitement of the players of both teams. The yellow-shirted strikers kept the promise that coach Huy Hoang had shared before the match, that "they will bring a beautiful and attractive match in the Derby".

Throughout the 90 minutes, the Nghe An team always showed a fiery spirit, high speed, and many beautiful combinations. It is not an exaggeration to say that coach Huy Hoang has changed the entire playing style of SLNA since he took over. The cohesion between the lines, the versatile playing style, and the confidence of the players were the most clearly demonstrated in this match.

Oseni created many dangerous situations in front of the away team's goal. Photo: Chung Nguyen

Entering round 7 of V.League 2022, on SLNA's side, in addition to Ojong Mark suffering from a long-term injury, Tran Dinh Hoang could not participate due to receiving a red card when meeting Ho Chi Minh City Club. Coach Huy Hoang trusted 19-year-old defender Ho Van Cuong to take over this position. It is worth mentioning that in the Nghe Tinh Derby, both SLNA and Hong Linh Ha Tinh only played with 2 foreign players, but that did not greatly affect the professional quality of the match.

In the first minutes, with enthusiastic cheers from fans, SLNA players entered the game with excitement. Olaha's mobility in the 5th minute of the match opened up an opportunity for left-back Mai Sy Hoang to break the balance. However, the number 29 of Nghe An club did not have the desired handling, so the score was still not opened for SLNA.

Xuan Manh had an excellent second match in his new position. Photo: Chung Nguyen

Although the two teams know each other very well, that does not make the opportunities less. SLNA with the familiar 3-5-2 formation has had quite smooth coordination. In this match, Van Duc is playing the role of a shuttle midfielder. This player has a fairly wide range of activities and is the destination of the attacking balls created by the home team.

As expected, coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's team chose a defensive counter-attacking style of play in this match. However, that could not cause any difficulties for SLNA's attack. The Nghe An players were still confident in their coordination.

And what Nghe An fans were waiting for was rewarded in the 15th minute. Striker Oseni opened the score for SLNA. From Mai Sy Hoang's cross on the left wing, the striker wearing the number 91 shirt chose a suitable position, headed the ball into the top corner, defeating goalkeeper Quang Tuan of Hong Linh Ha Tinh.

After conceding the goal, Hong Linh Ha Tinh no longer huddled together to defend, but pushed up their formation to find an equalizer. The attacks with the participation of striker Paollo caused many difficulties for Van Khanh and his teammates.

No longer maintaining the attacking flow as in the first minutes, however, SLNA still created many constant dangers to the opponent's goal. The understanding of the Nigerian striker duo created problems for goalkeeper Quang Tuan. In the 30th minute of the match, from Olaha's pass, Oseni made a beautiful fake move. After that, player number 91 fired a shot into the near corner, but unfortunately the ball missed the opponent's goal by a hair.

At the end of the first half, SLNA created a few more opportunities, however, the score remained the same in the first 45 minutes.

Young defender Ho Van Cuong left a strong impression in this match. Photo: Chung Nguyen

Entering the second half, the Nghe An team continued to maintain pressure on the opponent's goal. However, the main attacking wing was shifted to the right wing, where Ho Van Cuong participated. The speed and dynamism of the defender wearing the number 30 shirt created a new breeze in the home team's attack.

In the 57th minute of the match, Phan Van Duc almost had a great goal. From a situation where he had the ball in his home field, Phan Van Duc saw goalkeeper Quang Tuan rising high, so he made a bold shot, beyond the goalkeeper's control. However, the ball went slightly higher than the crossbar. The missed shot stunned thousands of fans in the stands.

In the second half, coach Nguyen Thanh Cong decided to bring in foreign player Abdul Basit to improve the attack. And the coordination of the foreign striker duo sparked a bit of hope in the visitors' attacks. However, the brilliance of Van Hoang SLNA did not allow Hong Linh Ha Tinh to equalize the score.

In the final minutes of the match, although coach Nguyen Thanh Cong's students tried very hard to push up their formation and find an equalizer, relying only on Paullo's excellence was not enough to defeat Que Ngoc Hai and Van Khanh.

At the end of the match, SLNA won with a score of 1-0. With this victory, the Nghe An team temporarily rose to the top of the V.League 2022 rankings. In round 8, SLNA will visit Hoa Xuan Stadium to meet the home team SHB Da Nang.

Duc Anh